Salt (sodium) is not the only thing affecting your blood pressure. True, too much sodium contributes to these staggering figures:

-1 in 5 adults has high blood pressure in Canada

-Only 1/3 of Canadians who have high blood pressure have their blood pressure under control

-3 out of every 4 Canadians suffering from a stroke or heart attack have high blood pressure

And alas, it seems like a never ending battle to get salt intakes down to acceptable levels.  Not all hope is lost however…instead of focusing on what you’re getting too much of (sodium), what about examining what you might NOT be getting enough of – Potassium.

Potassium matters because it seems to counter the damage caused by sodium, especially at high sodium intake levels.  So just take a potassium supplement and get on with it you say?  Not so. Potassium found in whole fruits and veggies is bound to citrate (not chloride as it is in most supplements) which seems to be the key for potassium’s’ benefits on blood pressure (not to mention the citrate can also prevent kidney stones).

The average person needs 4700mg of potassium daily: here are a few foods that are particularly high in potassium:

• Swiss chard
• Kale
• Tomatoes
• Oranges
• Cantaloupe
• Potatoes
• Bananas
• Yams
• squash
• Lima beans

We are all tired of hearing that we need to eat more fruits and veggies but what you don’t eat CAN hurt you.  Just in case you’re not yet convinced of the benefits, fruits and veggies are also the key to weight loss as every Spectrum Nutrition client knows 😉

What have you heard about the ‘must nots’ of dieting?  To put your mind at ease, let’s debunk some of those myths for you shall we?  If we don’t address a myth you want answers to…post it on our Facebook page and our dietitians will provide you with the real answer!

Myth #1 – eating at night is strictly forbidden – FALSE! We’ve addressed this myth in a previous tip – go back to read the detail.

Myth #2 – no carbs after 4pm (or no carbs at all) – FALSE! Your body is not sophisticated enough to distinguish how to deal with a ‘carb’ at 2am or 1pm.  Carbs, and more specifically starch, is your energy food.  You should include starch at every one of your meals (especially if you’re following the PLATE MODEL). Remember however, I’m not suggesting white bread and rice here – whole grain, high fibre breads, pasta and grains is what you want – think a minimum of 5g of fibre!

Myth #3 – no gluten – FALSE! Unless you have Celiac Disease, avoiding gluten is the surest way to avoid all those healthy high fibre whole grains I just mentioned. Typical gluten free fair is generally higher in calories and lower in fibre then more traditional whole grain products (think rice bread and rice pasta). More calories and less lasting power is a great combination for weight gain, not loss…

Coffee and more specifically the caffeine found in coffee is safe for consumption but as with everything, moderation is the key. Health Canada suggests that up to 400mg of caffeine daily is safe for non-pregnant adults (300mg per day if you are pregnant). How much is that you ask? Below are some common foods and how much caffeine they contain:

• 1 cup drip coffee – 100mg caffeine
• 1 – 355mL cola – 40-50mg caffeine
• 1 cup moderately brewed green or black tea – 40mg caffeine
• 3 squares of dark chocolate – 50mg
• 1 cup chocolate milk – 10mg

In fact, regular coffee drinkers seem to have amassed some benefits from the habit: In many studies, regular coffee drinkers may have a lower risk of gout, diabetes, some cancers and Parkinson’s disease. The bottom line? If you drink coffee, keep it to no more than about 3-4 cups per day. This isn’t the newest latest cure all, but I think it’s safe to say a couple cups of coffee is not causing you any harm 😉

Protein = Muscle?

Many trainers would like to have you think so – but simply eating more protein won’t ‘create’ more muscle. I’m sorry folks, but the only way to build muscle is to strength train regularly. Getting enough protein is an important component to building muscle, but don’t be fooled into thinking eating protein = gaining muscle (look around you, you don’t see all those carb-a-phobs growing pipes do you? The proof is in the pudding).

In fact, if you’re consuming more protein than you need (and hence more calories), your body is just burning this extra food as fuel. Keep in mind that our body’s currency is sugar. That’s right; your excess protein is being turned into sugar for fuel and to the detriment of your kidneys too I might add.

So, how much protein is too much? The recommended daily allowance for protein is 0.8g per kg body weight. There is good research out there suggesting that a little more than that is a good thing and for those of you trying to gain muscle mass – more like 1.2g protein per kg body weight should be the goal. If you are 150lbs, that’s 68kg so 68kg x 1.2g protein = about 82g protein per day. Some good sources of protein are listed below with their typical protein content:

Meat, fish & shellfish = 7-10g per oz

• Cottage cheese = 16g per ½ cup
• 0% Greek yogurt = 18g per ¾ cup
• 1 cup milk = 9g
• 1 egg = 6g
• 1oz cheese = 7g
• Beans/lentils = 9g per ½ cup
• 1 oz tofu = 5g

So you see, as a weight lifter – if you eat ½ cup cottage cheese with breakfast, have a tuna sandwich at lunch, have Greek yogurt as a snack and 4oz chicken for dinner, you’ve already met your needs – never mind the protein found in the other foods you eat throughout the day. My advice, skip the protein powder 😉

We’ve come a long way when it comes to foods in the market place prepared with trans fat – and thank goodness! That stuff is terrible for your heart!   …potato chips…French fries…fish sticks…to name a few of the old common trans fat offenders are now pretty much guaranteed not to contain the artery clogging fat.

Today, I am happy to announce that Mr. High Liner has taken his “Healthy Bake MultiGrain Fish Fillets” to a whole new level.  High Liner Healthy Bake MultiGrain Fish Fillets are baked, not fried (keeps the calories down even if it’s not fried in trans fat), low in calories (160 calories for 2 pieces of fish) and have a whopping 7g of fibre!  Now that’s whole grain – not just whole grain lip service.  Oh, isn’t it wonderful to have your cake and eat it tooJ.

This new product find is dietitian approved, fun for the kids and super easy and quick to make – Enjoy!

I would not be a good dietitian if I did not point out the benefits of breakfast.  So, yes, eating breakfast is healthy for you 😉  No surprise there, but did you know that eating breakfast (and specifically the kinds of things we North American’s typically eat for breakfast) can actually improve your mood, memory and productive performance?

Have you ever reached 9am (not a long day yet by any standards) and felt like you’d ‘woke up on the wrong side of the bed’?  This likely has more to do with what you ate (or didn’t eat) for breakfast rather than your surrounding circumstances.  A recent scientific review concluded that our cognitive function is sensitive to short term variations in the nutrients we typically eat in abundance at breakfast (many of the B vitamins, vitamin A & D, zinc, magnesium and iron).  Meaning that ‘mood’ you’re in or the ‘slump’ you feel in your productivity may not be due to “just a bad day”.

So what do I recommend?  Start everyday as a good day with a good breakfast.  Keep it simple but make sure the basics are always on your plate (bowl, whatever).  You need to have a good high fibre grain product with at least 10g fibre, some protein – aim for at least 12g – and likely some fruit for good measure.  Here are some ‘dietitian approved’ suggestions that anyone can manage…yes, even you 😉

• 2 slices of Silver Hills bread with 2 eggs
• 1 cup of  Fibre fit or fibre 1 cereal with 1 full cup of milk
• ¾ cup 0% Greek yogurt with ¾ cup Kashi GoLean Crunch cereal
• ½ cup cottage cheese with 2 packages of Quaker Weight Control instant oatmeal
• 1.5 cups of cooked oatbran (cooked with milk) plus an egg

Are you saving your diet by starting with a salad?

I know, I know, we’ve been telling you forever to eat your veggies – you know this already…plate, plate, plate!

So what to do when you’re out at a restaurant where most dishes do not provide ½ a plates worth of vegetables? One might consider ordering a salad to start – but beware! Salads in a restaurant setting may be more than you bargained for. Let’s take a look at some of the calories restaurants post pertaining to the ‘starter’ salads they serve.

1. The Keg: house salad – 170 calories, Caesar Salad – 350 calories
2. Earls: Mixed green salad – 230 calories, Caesar Salad – 553 calories
3. Montana’s: House starter salad – 70 calories (not bad actually!), Caesar Salad – 370 calories
4. White Spot: The Spot salad – 186 calories, Caesar Salad 567 calories

…you get the idea. What that means is that by starting with a salad, you’ve likely just added a minimum of 200 calories to your meal. And without that salad right on your plate displacing some of the other higher calories items – you’re likely going to eat all of them too; thanks starter salad – for nothing!

So what do I suggest? Ask for steamed veggies with your meal. And ask for them prepared with little or no added fat. You’ll pay extra for these but you were going to pay for the salad anyway 😉

If you’re not regular, you’re not alone.  Approximately 1 in 4 adults experiences constipation.  If this is you… there is  something you can do about it.

1. Fluid – Drinking enough fluid everyday can definitely help.  Women should consume 2-3L and men 3-4L of fluid daily.  By fluid I mean your coffee, tea, juice, water and the fluid in your food.  A good rule of thumb is to try and consume at least 2L of ‘actual’ fluid every day.

2. Fibre – We’ve heard this one before but it’s worth mentioning again.  Try adding Bran Buds to your cereal or yogurt, choose breads that have at least 4g fibre, go ahead – eat some beans, and choose cereals with more than 6g fibre on a daily basis. Check out our previous nutrition tips for more fibre boosting tips.

3. Exercise – This doesn’t necessarily mean heading off to the gym. But a brisk walk around the office or out for coffee a couple of times a day will help keep constipation at bay.

4. Behavior – This might be a new concept for some. What I mean by behavior – is go when you have to go – don’t hold it! Trust me on this one, if you’re hung up about using a public washroom – don’t be.  Every time you ignore your body’s cues to do – it gets harder too the next time.

5. And probiotics? – Probiotics are very popular in products like yogurt these days, making claims such as ‘helps balance your digestive system’ – balance the digestive system? Not exactly. Probiotics do however give the bacteria in your gut something to do – produce gas.

My advice?– you’re likely trying to produce a bowel movement and not gas: try the first four steps 😉

Do these genes make me look fat?

Is obesity in your genes or in your head?  Scientists have been studying this question for years and the long and the short of it is – it’s both.  Obesity is a classic case of nature vs nurture. Research suggests that you are more likely to struggle with your weight if your parents are also overweight, suggesting a genetic component to your susceptibility for obesity.  We also know that some folks have to work harder than the average gym go’er to achieve the same results, again suggesting a genetic component. But we also know that parents and the children they nurture share a common lifestyle in the way they eat and exercise – hmmm – a strong vote for the nurture camp.

You can’t modify your genes.  As for your diet and lifestyle? You bet you can change ‘em!

So what do I suggest? You first need to learn how to eat properly and in a way that suits you. Then you MUST stick with that pattern of eating – for life. Regularity is the key.  Oops! I just let the cat out of the bag – the reason why temporary ‘diets’ don’t work (something to remember the next time you’re tempted for the ‘quick fix’). Also remember that generally we humans eat every day. That means what you eat is the most important aspect to tackle when fighting back against your ‘fat’ genes.

That’s not to say you don’t need to exercise.., you should exercise, that’s a given.  Besides the plethora of health benefits achieved by exercising, it also helps keep you slim (even if you do have to work harder than others). But don’t despair if adding exercise is too much, too soon – make what you eat count first, the rest will come 😉

Pasta… the new North American ‘swear word’?

Ask just about anybody these days and they’ll tell you pasta is the devil.  Why?  I was wondering the same thing!  Here are a few facts about the dreaded stuff to put your mind at ease:

1. The Nutrition Facts Table on the box is touting the calories, protein etc. in DRY pasta – 85g to be exact, which is 3oz or about 1 cup.

2. An 85g serving of dry pasta is approximately 300 calories.

2. 85g DRY pasta swells up to 2-3 cups of COOKED pasta (depending on how densely the particular pasta packs).

3. If you’re starting with cooked pasta – it works out to about 1.4 calories per gram.  So if you have 200g COOKED pasta (which is a about 2.5 cups), the result will be about 280 calories on your plate.

So in terms of calories, 100 calories per cup of COOKED pasta is actually quite reasonable; it’s about the equivalent to a piece of bread. Now take note: I’m not advocating for white pasta, there is no fibre to speak of in white pasta and fibre is what helps keep you fuller longer.  I whole heartedly recommend whole grain or whole wheat pasta.  You can even try Eden Organics Rye Spiral Pasta – now that’s whole grain! But, if white pasta is the only thing that will do, then go for Catelli Smart.  Catelli Smart has fibre added so you’ll get some of the lasting power a whole grain offers without sacrificing the look, taste and feel of white pasta.

Add to that a low fat tomato based pasta sauce and you’re in business!